Education

Fertiliser has played a huge role in the transformation of the New Zealand landscape and the development of the agricultural economic base of the country. However, it is something that many people know little about. It is manufactured in factories that are rarely visited by those not employed in the industry. It is applied to the land far from most urban centres. Its actions occur in the soil, invisible to the naked eye.

The articles in this section are designed to help unlock some of the mysteries of fertiliser - its manufacture, its role in plant and animal health, and its fate once applied to the soil.

Many aspects of fertiliser manufacture and use are of relevance to the New Zealand secondary school curriculum. Teachers and students alike may find information in this section that is helpful for the Making Sense of the Living World and Making Sense of the Material World segments of the science curriculum at Levels 6, 7 and 8.